A Prayer to Ease Anxiety and Depression

Explanation from Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya

It was reported from Abd-Allaah ibn Masood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: No person suffers any anxiety or grief, and says:

Allaahumma innee abduka wa ibn abdika wa ibn amatika, naasiyati bi yadika, maadin fiyya hukmuka,
adlun fiyya qadaauka, asaluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika
aw allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw istatharta bihi fi ilm il-ghaybi andak an tajala al-Quraana
rabee qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaaa huzni wa dhahaaba hammi (O Allaah, I am Your slave, son of Your
slave, son of Your female slave, my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed
and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every Name belonging to You which You named Yourself
with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the
knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Quraan the life of my heart and the light of my
breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety) - but Allaah will take away his
sorrow and grief, and give him in their stead joy.(Ahmad 1/391 and Al-Albaanee declared it sahih.)

Imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya said about this dua in his book 'The Provisions of the Hereafter' that the
verse, "Lord: I am Thy servant, whose father and mother are thy servants..." embodies the core of
knowledge and recognition of Allah Almighty, and the secrets of worship, and no single book can ever
detail their full meaning. Yet, this prayer is full of recognition of who is God, and in it, the worshipper
calling upon His Lord, acknowledges his Creator, and presents himself as Allah's servant, and the son of
His servants. The caller also places things where they belong by recognizing that his fate is in Allah's
Hand; that his destiny is moving according to the divine plan; that Allah Almighty does whatever He
pleases with it; that the servant can neither bring benefits nor harm to himself; that he cannot bring
about his own birth, death, or resurrection; that his destiny is in Allah's Hand; that he has no power to
alter it except as Allah wills; that he is totally dependent on his Creator, Cherisher, Sustainer, and Lord;
that his own existence is subject to whatever Allah Almighty decrees; and that Allah is just, and what He
wills shall be.
Imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya then explains the next part of the dua: "My fate is in Thy Hand, and my
destiny is moving according to Thy plan. Thou art indeed just in Thy judgment..."This section of the
prayer embodies two cardinal aspects which are the core of the doctrine of monotheism (Tawheed): (1)
the first is the recognition and confirmation of fate, and that Allah's decree regarding His servant shall
unfailingly come into force, and that the servant cannot escape it or repel it; and (2) the second aspect
proclaims that Allah is just, that He does not oppress His servants, and that what He decrees is due by
virtue of divine justice and knowledge of such needs. This is because injustice represents the need,
ignorance, incompetence, weakness, and inferiority of an unjust person, and therefore, such attributes
are not divine, and they cannot come from one who is omniscient, All-Knowing, wise, and has no needs.
Hence, Allah's wisdom is operative wherever His will is ordained. Allah is rich beyond any need, and
everything is poor and seeks its nourishment from Him. He is All-Wise, and there is not a single atom
throughout the entire universes where His will is not operative. The absolute dependence of each and
every cell in the entire creation, and their soliciting of their support and sustenance from the sole and
only provider requires their gratitude. Hence gratitude (shukur) is rewarded with blessings and
ingratitude (kufr) is rewarded with disapprobation and consequent punishment for the non repenting
ones.

When the unrepenting and ungrateful disbelievers and idol worshipers threatened Allah's Prophet Hud,
peace be upon him, to invoke the curse of their deities upon him, he replied: I call Allah to witness and
you bear witness that I am innocent regarding what you ascribe as partners to Him. Therefore, scheme
(Your worst) against me and grant me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is
not a moving creature whose forelock is not (held firmly) in His Hand. My Lord is surely on a straight
path, (Qur'an 11:54-56)--meaning that Allah's power which is unlimited and unrestrained is operative
over all creatures, and no one can withstand His decree. He alone has the power to move them as He
pleases, and He does so rightly, justly, wisely and mercifully.

In this prayer, the servants proclamation: "My destiny is moving according to Thy plan," means the same
as 'There is not a moving creature whose forelock is not (held firmly) in His Hand,' and his saying: "Thou
art indeed just in Thy judgment, " is also parallel to 'My lord is surely on a straight path.' Furthermore,
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) calls in this prayer upon Allah's most holy Names and the divine attribute He
proclaimed in His kingdom, revealed in a Book, taught to a privileged servant or kept as His sole secret,
so that no angel of the nearest and most exalted status and no prophet or messenger has ever known to
ask by it. Such invocation surpasses all supplications, and of all prayers is the dearest to Him, and most
worthy of immediate reply, because it proves the servant's knowledge and recognition of his Lord.

Allah's messenger (pbuh) then prayed to Allah Almighty to make the glorious Qur'an the prime of his
heart, meaning the spiritual food of his body, mind, and soul, and through it, to wash away, dispel, and
cure his stresses, worries, and concerns, making it the one conclusive medicine that will extract illnesses,
and restore the human being to his true status and balance. Hence, he asked his Lord to make the
Qur'an the light of his soul that removes any corrosion that tarnishes his clarity and wisdom, and that
polishes his heart. Such medicine works only if the patient is truthful in his asking for it, sincere in his
trust in its effectiveness and uses it as prescribed by his physician. Hence, Allah willing the correct use of
the medicine will certainly be followed by complete recovery, excellent health and vitality and Allah is
the Supreme helper.

About Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

His full name is Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, son of Ayyoub, son of Sa'ad al-Zar'i, al-Dimashqi, patronymed
as Abu 'Abdullaah Shamsu-Deen, and known as Ibn al-Qaqqim al-Jawziyaa. He was born in Damascus,
Syria in 691 A.H. and he studied under his father who was the local attendant of al-Jawziyya school. He
also studied under the great Imam and scholar Imam Taqiyyu-Deen Ahmad ibn Taimiyyah who kept him
as his closest student and disciple, and Ibn Al-Qayyim later became his successor.

Ibn al-Qayyim catered to all the branches of Islamic sciences and was particularly known and
commended for his commentaries on the Qur'an, hadiths, and fiqh.